Pencil sharpener



Mm 2 4%,. mm o. E. HAMMOND PENCIL SHARPENER Filed Feb. 14, 1946' Vlad/t4 wxx Patented Jan. 24, 1950 NITED STATES ATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to pencil sharpeners of the type in which a blade carrying arm is oscillated back and forth along the end portion of a pencil to be sharpened and the blade motion is utilized to actuate a ratchet wheel to turn the pencil step by step.

One object is to simplify the construction of a sharpener of this type and enable most of the parts thereof to be formed as sheet metal stampings.

Another object is to provide a new and improved mounting for the ratchet wheel.

A further object is to provide a simplified and adjustable mounting of the sharpening blade.

Still another object is to provide a novel means for actuating the ratchet pawl.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the improved sharpener with the blade arm fully retracted.

Fig. 2 is a plan view with the blade arm advanced.

Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 23-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken along the line t i of Fig. 3.

Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are perspective views of dif ferent parts of the sharpener.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown in the drawings and will herein describe in detail the preferred embodiment. It is to be understood, however, that I do not intend to limit the invention by such disclosure but aim to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the illustrated embodiment of the improved pencil sharpener shown in the drawings, the principal operating parts are formed out of or mounted on an elongated fiat metal plate it], one end portion H Of which constitutes the supporting handle. The other end portion is somewhat enlarged and punched out along its longitudinal center line to form an elongated slot l2 which is wider than an ordinary pencil i3 and terminates at a flange Hi bent up on a log l5 which is struck out of the plate iii. This lug constitutes an abutment for the end of the pencil to be sharpened in the case of a new pencil. If the pencil has been sharpened previously, its pointed end is pro- 2 jected through and located laterally in a recess l6 formed in the flange l4.

At the outer end of the plate slot I2, the punched-out metal is bent at right angles to form a lug ll (Fig. 5) which lies substantially in the plane of a flange l8 formed by bending up the end of the plate I i on the other side of the latter. The lug has a central opening l9 which receives the shouldered end portion of a tubular piece 29 which constitutes the hub of a ratchet wheel 2! and has a shoulder 22 abutting against the inner side of the lug l 7. The ratchet wheel is stamped from a piece of sheet metal and is received against a shoulder 23- on the piece 28, the end 24 of the latter being expanded to lock the wheel to the piece. The ratchet teeth 25 project a short distance above the straight edge 28 of the flange l8 by which a pawl 2'! later to be described is guided.

The pencil to be sharpened is projected through the ratchet Wheel and a tube 28 whose outer end is received snugly within the ratchet wheel hub 20, as shown in Fig. 4. The tube converges toward the plate It] and its inner end portion is disposed in the slot l2 and cut away, as indicated at 29, along a plane disposed slightly above the plate I 6. The side of the pencil to be sharpened is thus exposed through the V-shaped slot 29 when the pencil is projected into abutment with the flange I4 or its previously sharpened end is projected into the recess IS. The inner end of the tube 28 is in this instance formed with a lip 39 (Fig. 3) which may be secured to the under side of the struck-out portion I5 of the plate Hi. By virtue of the tight fit between the tube 23 and the ratchet wheel hub 28, the wheel is held frictionally against reverse rotation.

Means is provided on the ratchet wheel for gripping the pencil It to insure turning thereof as the wheel is advanced step by step to present successive angular portions of the pencil to the cutter. Herein, this means comprises a thin disk 3| (Fig. 8) of resilient material secured to the outer face of the ratchet wheel as by screws 3| entered through holes 32. The latter are disposed on opposite sides of the disk so that the latter may be bent slightly about a diametrical axis through the screws by squeezing together two outstanding lugs 33. The disk has a central aperture 34 to receive the pencil which is gripped by fingers 35 struck out of the disk and projecting into the aperture from opposite sides of the bending axis and also along the pencil axis. Owing to the resiliency of the disk 3|, the fingers 35 are urged inwardly into engagement with the aaeaesr opposite sides of the pencil on which the finger ends act to positively prevent axial retraction of the pencil out of the holder until the fingers are retracted out of engagement with the pencil by manually squeezing the lugs 33 together.

A blade 36 having a bevel 3'; that terminates in a straight cutting edge 38 is mounted to oscillate back and forth along the open side of the tube 28 so as to shave ofi the exposed side of the pencil. To this end, the blade lies against and bridges a recess in the central portion ll of a lever M which is stamped out of sheet metal and has one flattened end pivotally secured by a shouldered screw 42 against a lateral extension 43 of the main frame plate 10. The opposite end 44 of the lever M projects beyond the other side of the plate In and forms a handle by which the lever may be oscillated manually. The intermediate portion 40 is bent up so as to incline the blade 36 at the desired .angle.

A flange 45 bent upwardly at the upper edge of the lever portion 40 receives a screw 15 whose end bears against the back edge of the blade 35. Advancing the screw feeds the cutting edge 33 downwardly to the desired position above the edge 29 of the guide tube 28. The blade is normally urged upwardly and thus held in abutment with the screw. This is accomplished herein by spring arms l! which bear downwardly against the flange 45 and are (Fig. '7) which is received on the screw and lies against the under side of the blade carrier w. This member is bifurcated at its lower end and is formed with upstanding hooks 49 which are disposed on opposite sides and bear against the edge 38 of the blade. The hooks thus serve to hold the blade against its carrier while permitting some degree of edgewise shifting of the blade in response to adjustment of the screw 46.

Provision is made for advancing the ratchet wheel one step in the final portion of each retraction of the blade carrier. "The means here employed for this purpose comprises the pawl 21 which is disposed above the plane of the plate 10 and constitutes the end of an arm as disposed between the handle 44 and the plate l and pivoted at on the handle outwardly beyond the right-hand side of the plate.

Intermediate its ends, the pawl arm 58 carries a pin 52 which projects downwardly into a cam slot 53 punched out of the plate Ill and curved about the handle pivot 42. At its upper end, the slot has an abrupt lateral extension 5 which the follower 52 reaches as the handle id approaches the limit of its upward retracting movement. Further movement of the follower is prevented by the slot end 55 .so that in the further and .final movement of the handle 44 to the position shown in Fig. 1, the pawl end 56 is shifted laterally and to the left along its guide surface 26 so as to engage one ratchet tooth and advance the wheel 2| one step. As the handle is moved downwardly through its active stroke, the pawl end 56 moves to the right across the back of the next tooth on the ratchet wheel which is irictionally held against reverse movement as described above.

In the use of the sharpener above described, the pencil to be. sharpened is pushed endwise through the guide tube into abutment with the flange I4. Then the handle M is oscillated up and down so as to take successive cuts around the pencil and sharpen the latter to the desired point. After sharpening the pencil, the lugs 33 are squeezed together to release the fingers formed on a member 38 of the guide tube 28 and permit the sharpened pencil to be withdrawn.

I claim as my invention:

1. A pencil sharpener of the class described comprising a flat plate having an elongated slot therein, means supported by said plate to receive a pencil and locate the same for sharpening at the inner end of said slot, an arm pivoted on said plate to oscillate back and forth along said slot, a blade carried by said arm to engage and sharpen said pencil, a ratchet wheel journaled on said plate to turn about the axis of the latter and adapted to grip and turn the pencil, a pawl pivoted on said arm with its free end portion extending longitudinally of said slot for engagement with said ratchet wheel in the final retraction of said arm, a cam slot punched in said plate, and a follower .on said pawl riding in said cam slot, the latter having a laterally extending portion at its outer end acting on said follower in the final part of the return stroke of said blade arm, to shift the pawl laterally and advance the ratchet wheel one step.

2. A pencil sharpener of the class described comprising a plate having an elongated slot therein, means supported by said plate to receive a pencil to be sharpened, an arm pivoted on said plate to oscihate back and forth along said slot, a blade carried by said arm to engage and sharpen said pencil, a ratchet wheel journaled on said plate to turn about the axis of the latter and adapted to grip and turn the pencil, a pawl pivoted on. said arm for engagement with said ratchet wheel in the final retraction of said arm, a follower on said pawl, and a cam formed on said plate and engaging said follower at the end of said arm retraction to cause lateral shifting of the pawl to advance the ratchet wheel one step.

3. A pencil sharpener having, in combination, a flat plate, a pencil guide mounted on said plate, a ratchet wheel journaled on said plate to turn about the axis of the pencil supported in said guide, an arm mounted on said plate to oscillate back and forth longitudinally of said guide, a pawl pivoted on said arm for lateral swinging of its free end to advance said ratchet wheel, a follower on said pawl, and a slot formed in said plate and providing a cam surface engaging said follower and operable in the final retraction of said arm to shift said pawl laterally to actuate said ratchet wheel.

4. A pencil sharpener having, in combination, a fiat plate, means on said plate to receive and support a pencil, a ratchet wheel ,iournaled on said plate to turn about the axis or" the supported pencil, an arm mounted on said plate to oscillate back and forth longitudinally of said guide, an angular bell crank composed of thin resilient metal having one end portion extending along and pivoted at its end on said arm, the other end portion of said bell crank projecting in the direction of motion of the arm and constituting a pawl bendable toward and away from said plate, a follower intermediate the ends of said bell crank, and a cam surface on said plate extending along the direction of motion of said arm and acting on said follower during retraction of said arm to swing said pawl laterally to engage and actuate said ratchet wheel.

5. In a pencil sharpener of the class described, the combination of, an elongated flat plate punched out to form a recess extending longitudinally of and terminating near but short of one end of the plate, an apertured lug struck out of said plate at said recessed end and lying amass;

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Fornander Nov. 14, 1893 Deputy June 7, 1898 Hammond Sept. 11, 1906 Kesler Apr. 14, 1908 Spengler May 26, 1908 Spengler July 18, 1911 Spengler Nov. 24, 1914 Webster Apr. 24, 1917 Hauranek Nov. 28, 1933 Wyper Oct. 17, 1939 

